The protected historic windmill pictured before and after Mepa took direct action.

A large extension to a historic windmill in Żurrieq has now been demolished by the planning authority.

Mepa’s Enforcement Directorate carried out the direct action operation to knock down the extension which was illegally built a number of years ago at the Grade 1 listed building in Triq il-Mitħna.

The extension increased the residential floor space for the inhabitants living in the protected windmill.

Although works had stopped when the authority issued an enforcement notice, leaving the extension without a roof, the occupant never removed the structure.

Due to the sensitivity of the site, all the demolition works during the direct action were carried out manually.

Over the past days, the authority concluded a number of pending enforcement cases after it had given several contraveners a final warning prior to imminent direct action.

In Dwejra, Gozo, two property owners who built illegal boathouses in 2000 and 2011 opted to remove the entire structure themselves after the authority threatened them with direct action.

One of the buildings was a two-storey boathouse while the other one-storey boathouse was left unroofed after the owner was served with an enforcement notice. In Għajnsielem, enforcement officers caught red-handed a contractor dumping building material on a site known as iċ-Ċens ta’ Katkut.

Enforcement officers gave the contractor two days to return the site to its original state or face the consequences. The contractor followed instructions and complied by removing all the dumped material.

Large quantities of material also started being removed from two large illegal scrapyards in Wardija and Mġarr, Mepa said.

In Wardija, in the area of Ras il-Wied, the contravener started removing tons of illegally deposited vehicles and scrap material from fields. Once this operation is concluded, the contravener will also have to restore and rebuild a number of rubble walls which he removed.

“In the coming days the authority will continue with its enforcement action with its priority being that of tackling illegal development in environmentally and heritage sensitive areas or where the illegalities are potentially effecting the well-being of neighbours,” the authority said.